Just back from checking out the preparations for Saturday night’s Cattle Baron’s Ball at Gilley’s. With not a cloud in the sky and beyond-perfection temperatures, the Baronesses were sans makeup with hair in ponytails as they schlepped carts, stuffed bags and set up for the goodies for the silent auction.
And, yes, the Ferris Wheel is right where it should be with a spectacular view of downtown Dallas, Reunion Tower and the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.
Co-Chair Tia Wynne had sent husband Shel out of town early in the week and had a helper keep an eye on the Wynne munchkins. But Bedford will be back in time for the American Cancer Society fundraiser. The Wynne family has been providing leadership at CBB since the first one back in 1974. The reason? They have a grudge against the disease that has hit their family too often over the years.
Co-Chair Mary Martha Pickens regretted that her folks wouldn’t be able to attend the ball due to the lengthy trip. She recalled her childhood when every other week they would drive their 12-year-old daughter hundreds of miles for two days of chemo treatments and testing. At night they would stay in a motel, where they would single-handedly tend to the ailing child. That is why the live auction item of a naming opportunity for Hope Lodge is so important for her.
Thanks to this remarkable facility that will be built on Baylor Health Care System Dallas‘ campus, cancer patients and their caregivers can have a free place to stay when undergoing treatments. They will be able to have privacy and/or connect with others going through similar treatments. To ease their stay, there will be a communal kitchen and living area on the first floor, guest suites on the upper three floors, a 24-hour staff, on-site parking and a healing garden for guests.
And that is what all the schlepping, stuffing and setting up is about — battling cancer and supporting those on the frontline.
BTW, here are some of the ladies hard at work.